Bag sewing machine



Sept. 11, 1934.

Wi'iness O. F. HOPPE BAG SEWING MACHINE Filed July 6, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet l Izvenirr Sept. 11, 1934. o. F. HOPPE BAG SEWING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 6, 1932 Sept. 11, 1934. o. F. HQPPE BAG SEWING MACHINE Filed July 6, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 an A 4 Sept. 11,1934. 0. F. HOPPE BAG SEWING MACHINE 4 Sheets- Sheet 4 Filed July 6, 1932 Patented Sept. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES BAG SEWING MACHINE Otto F. Hoppe, Franirfort-on-the-Main, I Germany, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N.

Jersey J., a corporation of New Application July 6, 1932, Serial No. 621,052

In Germany July 17, 1931 J 15 Claims.

' The present invention relates to sewing machines for sewing the registering edges of bags and similar articles, particularly for sewing bags in which one of the parts to be sewed is flanged and lies parallel to another, and also for sewing, at the same time, a U-shaped reinforcing or binding strip about the registering edges.

Sewing machines for attaching a binding strip to a bag in which the parts are disposed at an angle along the seam are usually provided with guides for the corners of the parts to be secured together and, when a binding strip is employed, a guide for the binding strip which bends the same into the proper shape and directs it to the sewing location. However, a binding strip has not yet been successfully applied by mechanical guides to bags in which the margin of one of the parts of which the bag is composed is deflected or flanged and disposed in parallel relation to the edge of another part, and secured in this position by stitches. The main difliculty is encountered when the corners of such a bag are sewn.

The principal object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a machine particularly adapted for sewing around the corners of bags in which the registering edges of the parts lie in parallel contact, one or. more of "he parts adjacent the edges being deflected or offset.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine in which a bag of this type may be sewed together and at the same time a binding strip may be guided and fastened to the registering edges.

According to an essential feature of the invention the presser foot of the machine is provided with an extended work engaging surface serving to hold the work layers down when flat parts of the work are being operated upon, which extended surface is arranged to be moved out of operative position when a corner is sewn so that the work maybe turned around the corner easily.

According to another feature of the invention the presser foot and the binding strip guide are arranged to cooperate in close relation and tobe movable together with a stitching plate along the Work table in the line of feed, in order to. accommodate their position to the penetrating location maintained by the awl at thattime. This is particularly. of importance when the corners are sewn at which time the feeding movement of the awl has been so adjusted as to practically cease.

As a further feature of the invention, the stitching plate movable in a direction longitudinally of the work table together with the presser foot and the strip guide is returned automatically into a position corresponding to the penetrating positioncf the awl by the feeding mechanism after the work has been turned around the corner and the feeding movement has been resumed.

The above and other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following description, given by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings of a preferred form of jmachine embodying the invention.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the essential parts of a bag sewing machine embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a view infront elevation on an enlarged scale of a portion of the work supporting and stitch forming devices shown in Fig. '1, as-viewed from the line 22;' Figs. 3 and 4C are views, partly in section, of two guides for thefbinding strip, as viewed along the'lines 33 and 4- respectively of Fig. 2; Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are";views"similar to Fig. 2, but partly insection of the machine showing three operating positions of the parts when operating upon preliminarily fastened bags; Figs. 8 and 9 show respective views of the type of work for which the machine is particularly adapted; and Fig. 10 is a planview in section taken along the line 10-10 of Fig. -2.

The machine embodying the invention is arranged to operate upon bags composed of a side wall 2, and a bottom 4, as well as a binding strip 6 (see Figs. 8 and 9). These three parts are permanently secured together in the machine by stitches so thatthe margins of the walls extend in parallel relation outwardly from the bag'and are covered by the binding strip '6. 'The side walls and the bottom may, asindicatedin Fig. 8, be presented to the machine in loose condition so that the corners are formed during the sewing operation by bending the walls accord a5 ingly, or they may be preliminarily secured together with the corners in final position as indi cated in Fig. 9. The method of' operating the machine in sewing the workindicated-111 Fig.

8, therefore, differs somewhatfrom thatin'sewing the work indicated in Fig; 9. H

The bag sewing machine used in connection with the present invention is in its' essential parts the same as illustrated and described in the U. S. patent to French and Meyer No. 473,870, granted April 26, 18 92 which operates to form a lockstitch seam and comprises a curved hooked needle 10, a curved awl 12 and 'a loop taker 14. The work is fed for the length-of one stitch by the awl which pierces the work prior to the sewing and then is fed forwardly by an arm 16 of an oscillating feeding slide, the slide being actuated from the main sewing cam shaft 18 of the machine. The work is supported by an angularly shaped table 20 to which a stitching plate 22 is secured by screws 24 passing through slots 26 in the table 20. A washer 28 and a spring 30 are interposed between the heads of the screws 24 and the table so that the stitching plate may be movable on the table for a distance corresponding to the length ofthe slots 26 but may be frictionally held in position.

The binding strip 6 in form of a flat endless band is guided into the machine and is engaged first by an outer guide 32 (Fig. 3) bending the strip into an L-shape. The guide 32 is fastened to a rigid frame portion 34 of the machine by a screw 36. From there the binding strip runs to an inner guide 38 (Fig. 4) which bends the same around the edges of the work parts 2 and 4. This inner guide 38 is secured to the stitching plate 22 by two screws 40 which also hold an abutting or stop member 42 with a projection 44 engaged by the arm 16 of the feed slide. The abutting member 42 is provided with a cylindrical rod 45 carrying on its outer extremity a knob 46 by means of which the stitching plate 22 may be manually moved over the table.

. The work is pressed upon the stitching plate 22 by a presser foot 48 which straddles the inner strip guide 38, the presser foot pressing the binding strip down at the same time. The presser foot is carried by a rod 50, the lower 35 portion of which is rectangularly shaped in cross section and the upper portion of which is round in cross section. The rod 50 is threaded into a bearing 52 and locked in place by a nut 54. Received within this bearing is a ball-shaped head 40 of a pivot 56 connecting the presser foot 48 with a carrier arm 58 projecting through and secured within a socket 60 on an actuating part of the machine. This socket and the means for actuating it are of the same construction as in the bag sewing machines described in U. S. patents to Ricks et al. 'No. 1,695,718, granted December 18, 1928, and No. 1,707,571, granted April 2, 1929 and serve, in these machines, to receive the work supporting horn and'to actuate the presser foot toward and from the work as the sewing cam shaft rotates to permit feeding of the work.

Arranged for sliding movement on the rectangular portion of the presser foot rod 50 there is a sliding member 62 with a cover 64 secured thereto by screws 66. The lower portion 68 of the sliding member 62 may engage the work behind the presser foot 48, seen in the direction of the feed, and thus prevent the binding strip 6 from bulging out. The portion 68, therefore, represents an extension of the work engaging surface 70 of the presser foot when the sliding member 62 which is arranged beyond the piercing location of the awl 12, seen in the direction of the feed, is in its lowermost, position on the rod 50 of the presser foot 48. A latch lever 72 (Fig, 1) is pivotally con' nected at 74 to the sliding member 62 and is ar ranged to engage with its hooked lower end a re cess 75in the rod 50. By engagement of the lever 72 with the recess 75 of the rod 50, the sliding member 62 is held in its lowermost and operative position in which the portion 68 of the sliding member engages the work. A spring 76 tends to press the lever 72 toward the rod 50. The angu-v larly deflected upper end of the lever 72 serves as a hand lever for releasing this locking device and 1 for raising the sliding member 62. An adjustable collar 78 with washer 80 is arranged for limiting the upward movement of the sliding member 62.

The sliding member is held in its uppermost position by the friction of the lever 72 against the side face of the rod 50.

The operation of the device so far described will now be explained as indicated in Figs. 5 and 7, assuming that the machine is to operate upon a piece of work with a so-called open corner as shown in Fig. 8. By depressing a treadle con-- nected to the lower end of a treadle rod 82, the socket 60 is swung about a pivot 84 so that the presser foot 48 is lifted in the direction of its 1o-n gitudinal axisand thus will permit an easy insertion of the work between the stitching plate 22 and the face 70 of the presser foot. The binding strip 6 is presented to the working location by the inner guide 38 which bends the strip to a U- shape. By releasing the treadle, the work is clamped between the presser foot and the stitching plate and the sewing operation is initiated in the usual manner, the sliding member 62 being locked in its lowermost position. A spring 86 acting on an arm connected to the socket 60 tends to press the presser foot against the work. The presserfoot serves as an abutment for the work against the upward force of the awl 12 when piercing the work, while at the same time the portion 68 of the sliding member 62, which might be considered as an extension of the work engaging face of the presser foot, prevents the strip 6, which sometimes consists of very soft material, from bulging while the awl moves laterally in order to feed the work.

The work is sewn with the parts of the machine so far described maintaining their position until a corner of the work is reached. If this corner is formed by arranging the pre-shaped material accordingly without securing it together the material may be sewn in the ordinary way quite close to the corner, the presser foot passing through the opening between the disconnected parts. When the corner is practically reached, the operator stops the machine, releases the sliding member 62 by manipulating the latch lever 72, as described, and moves the sliding member upwardly out of operative position against the adjustable collar 78. This being done, the side of the work on the left of the awl 12 (Fig. 7) may be turned upwardly into a vertical position in which position this part of the work is arranged adjacent to the left side of. the presser foot 48. The portions of the work 2 and 4 arranged on the right of the awl are then sewn by two or three individual stitches and as soon as the awl has fed the work a sufficient distance toward the left, the sliding member 62 is lowered again and the sewing operation continued in normal manner.

If the work has closed corners (Fig. 9) that is, if the work parts are already preliminarily fas' tened together, the operation of the machine is as follows:

The binding strip 6 and the work portions 2 and 4 are inserted in the machine and sewn in ordinary manner until a corner is reached. As this corner is already completely formed by preliminarily securing the walls of the bag to one another, the seam cannot be sewn clear to the corner with the automatic feed of the machine in operation on account of interference withthe presser foot and binding strip guide 38. The automatic feed may be used only until the upright portionof the work shown in Fig. 5 abuts laterally against the right side of the presser foot 48. The machine, is then stopped and the automatic feed thrown out. The machine, as described in the Patent No. 473,870, above referred to, is so constructed and arranged that when the automatic feed is thrown out, the awl will be moved into the plane of the needle. The corner is now sewn while the work is fed by hand. When the awl, as indicated in Fig. 6, is moved toward the left into the plane of the needle, the piercing location of the awl naturally moves away from the presser foot 48. For this reason the pon'tion of the presser foot must be adjusted toward the left so that the presser foot will again be arranged accurately opposite the piercing location of the awl. This is effected by moving the stitching plate 22 together with the inner strip guide 38 secured thereto and the presser foot 48 toward the left by pushing the knot 46 connected to the inner strip guide 38. In doing this, the projection 44 of the abutment 42 engages the arm 16 of the feeding slide so that the stitching plate together with the presser foot and the strip guide may be moved into their proper position opposite the piercing location of the awl. After the corner of the work has been sewn so far that the left portion of the work is in an upright position (Fig. 7) the automatic feed may be again thrown in. The arm 16 of the feed slide in co-operation with the stop projection 44 moves the stitching plate 22 and the presser foot 48 back into their initial positions. After the work has been fed for a sumcient distance, so that there is enough clearance between the presser foot and the upright portion of the work, the sliding member 62 of the presser foot is again lowered. The sewing operation is then resumed as in the case previously described until the next corner is reached.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and an embodiment of the several features of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is:

l. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a needle, means for supporting the work in position to be operated upon, a presser foot extending beyond both sides of the needle path in the line of feed for retaining the work in position, and means for retracting from engagement with the work a portion of the presser foot at one side of the needle in the line of feed and for retaining said portion retracted during the continued operation of the stitch forming devices in forming a seam while the portion of the presser foot at the other side of the needle remains in engagement with the work.

2. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a needle, an awl acting from one side of the work to form perforations for the passage of the needle, means for supporting the work in position to be operated upon, a presser-foot extending beyond both sides of the awl path at the opposite side of the work from the awl for retaining the work in position against the passage of the awl, and means for retracting from engagement with the work a portion of the presser-foot at one side of the awl and for retaining said portion retracted during the continued operation of the stitch forming devices in forming a seam while the portion of the presser-foot at the other side of the awl remains in engagement with the work.

3. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch-forming devices including a needle, means for supporting the registering edges of the work imposition to be operated upon with one part of the work disposed in parallel relation to the flanged edge of an adjacent part, a presser-foot extending beyond both sides of the needle path for retaining the registering edges in position, and means for retracting from engagement with the work that portion of the presser-foot which engages the work extending in the direction of feed from the needle and for retaining said portion retracted during the continued operation of the stitch forming devices in forming a seam while the portion of the presser-foot extending in the opposite direction from the needle remains in engagement with the work. 7

4. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch-forming devices including a needle, means for supporting the registering edges of the work in position to be operated upon with one part of the I work disposed in parallel relation to the flanged edge of an adjacent part, a guide for directing a binding strip about the registering edges before the point of operation of the needle relative to the direction of feed, a presser-foot member for retaining the binding strip in position to be sewed about the registering edges between the guide and the point of operation of the needle, and means for retaining the binding strip in engagement with the registering edges between the last formed stitch. and the point of operation of the needle while sewing a linear seam in the work, said means being movable from engagement with the work to permit the work to be turned while sewing an angular part thereof.

5. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch-forming devices including a needle, means for supporting the registering edges of the work in position to be operated upon with one part of the work disposed in parallel relation to the flanged edge of an adjacent part, a guide for directing a binding strip about the registering edges before the point of operation of the needle relative to the fail direction of feed, a presser-foo-t member for retaining the binding strip in position to be sewed about the registering edges, a rod for supporting the presser-foot and moving it toward and from the work to permit the work to be fed, and a second pre-sser-foot member supported on the rod and movable at the will of the operator toward and from engagement with the work between the last formed stitch and the point of operation of the needle while the first mentioned presser-foot member remains in engagement with the work.

6; A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitchforming devices including a needle, means for supporting the registering edges of the work in position to be operated upon with one part of the work disposed in parallel relation to the flanged edge of an adjacent part, a guide for directing a binding strip about the registering edges before the point of operation of the needle relative to the direction offeed, a presser-foot member for retaining the binding strip in position to be sewed about the registering edges, a rod for supporting the presser-foot and moving it toward and from the work to permit the work to be fed, a second presser -foot member slidingly supported'on the rod and movable toward and from engagement with the work between the last formed stitch and the point of operation of the needle while the first mentioned presser-foot member remains in engagement with the work, and a manually operablelatch device-for securing the second presser-foot member ata position on the rod in which it engages the work.

7. A machine for sewing leatherbags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch forming devices, a work support, aworkvsupporting plate slidable in the direction of feed on the work support, a presser foot mounted to move with the work supporting plate, and a handle for moving the work supporting plate and the presser foot while the work is retained therebetween.

8. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch forming devices, means forsupporting the registering edges of the work in position to be operated upon with a flanged edge of one part of the work lying parallel to the edge of an adjacent part, a guide movable in the direction of feed for directing a binding strip about the registering edges, and a presser-foot connected to move with the binding strip guide in the direction of feed but arranged to move toward and way from the work while the guide remains in position.

9. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch forming devices including a needle and an awl movable toward and from a position of alinement with the needle to feed the work, means for supporting the registering edges of the work in position to be operated upon with a flanged edge of one part of the work lying parallel to the edge of an adjacent part, a guide movable in the direction of feed for directinga binding strip about the registering edges, a presser foot connected to move in the line of feed with the binding strip guide toward and from a position in close proximity to the point of operation of the awl while the awl is moved out of alinement with the needle, and means for preventing movement of the presser foot into the path of the awl as the awl engages the work.

10. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a curved needle, a feed slide, a curved work feeding awl supported on the slide, said slide being manually shiftable toward a position with the needle and awl in alinement to prevent feeding of the work, means movable in the direction of feed for supporting the registering edges of the work in a position to be operated upon, a presser foot for retaining the edges of the work in position, said presser foot being shiftable in the direction of feed while no feeding movement is imparted to the work to cause the presser foot to engage the work in close proximity to the point at which the awl enters, and a stop connected with the presser foot for engaging the feed slide at the limit of the feeding movement of the awl toward the presser foot.

11. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch form ing and work feeding devices including a curved hook needle, a feed slide, a curved work feeding awl supported on the slide, said slide being manually shiftable toward a position with the needle and awl in alinement to prevent feeding of the work, means for supporting the registering edges of the work in a position to be operated upon, a presser foot for retaining the edges of the work in position, said work supporting means and presser foot being shiftable in the direction of feed while no feeding movement is imparted to the work tocause the presser foot to engage the Work in close proximity to the point at which the awl enters the work.

12. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a curved needle, a feed slide, a curved work feeding awl supported on the slide, said slide being manually shiftable toward a position with the needle and awl-in alinement to prevent feeding of the work, means for supporting the registering edges of the work in a position to be operated upon, a presser foot for retaining the edges of the work in position, said work supporting means and presser foot being shiftable in the direction of feed while no feeding movement is imparted to the Work to cause the presser foot to engage the work in close proximity to the point at which the awl enters, and a guide mounted to move with the presser foot and work supporting means for directing a binding strip about theedges of the work before engagement by the presser foot.

13. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a curved hook needle, a curved awl, and a feed slide, said slide being manually shiftable in the line of feed to vary the feeding movement of the work, means for supporting the registering edges of the work in a position to be operated upon, a guide movably mounted in the line of feed for directing a binding strip about the edges of the work at a position close to the stitch forming devices, and a stop cooperating with the feed slide for limiting the movement of the binding strip guide towards the point of operation of the stitch forming devices.

14. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch forming and work feeding devices including a curved hook needle, a curved awl, and a feed slide, said slide being manually shiftable in the line of feed to vary the feeding movement of the work, means for supporting the registering edges of the work in a position to be operated upon, a guide movably mounted in the line of feed for directing a binding strip about the edges of the work at a position close to the stitch forming devices, a stop cooperating with the feed slide for limiting the movement of the binding strip guide toward the point of operation of the stitch forming devices, and a handle extending from the binding strip guide at the opposite side or" the guide from the point of operation of the stitch forming devices for moving the guide when an angular part of the seam is reached.

15. A machine for sewing leather bags or similar articles having, in combination, stitch form ing devices including a needle, means movable in the direction of feed for supporting the regi. tering edges of the Work in position to be operated upon with one part of the work disposed in parallel relation to the flanged edge of an adjacent part, a presser foot ext nding along the work at both sides of the needle path and connected to move with the work support in the line of feed but arranged to move toward and from the work while the work support remains stationary to permit feeding movement of the work, and means for moving the work support in the line of feed and retracting from engagement with the work, a portion cf-the presser foot at one side of the needle while the portion of the presser foot at the other side of the needle remains in engagement wi h the work.

I OTTO F. HOPPE, 

